Diaries of Despair Website

 

 

 

 

 

The use of animals in medical experiments is a contentious issue. However, whatever your opinion on the rights and wrongs, you are likely to agree that companies involved in animal experiments should follow the guidelines set down by our own government.

In 2000 Dr Dan Lyons of Uncaged Campaigns came upon leaked documents which showed the terrible suffering of primates in animal experiments in the UK. We were asked us to create a website which would make these documents public, so that people could see what was really happening behind closed doors.

There were hundreds of these documents, and our challenge was to present them in an accessible way. We did this, and the website was launched to coincide with exclusive coverage of the exposé in the Daily Express.

Within 24 hours the drug company behind the experiments had won an injunction and the website was pulled. There followed a prolonged legal battle. However, in 2003 the injunction was finally overturned and Uncaged won the right to publish the documents in full.

Uncaged asked us to create a second version of the website, including all the original documents but now also laying out the history of the campaign and the details of the legal battle. They also wanted a striking introduction which would leave a lasting impression on visitors to the website. The revised website went live in April 2003 and the leaked documents were, at last, permanently in the public domain.

This type of research has now moved away from the UK, partly due to the public outcry. However, the Diaries of Despair website remains as proof of the grim reality of animal research and as an aid to other campaigners caught up in a 'David and Goliath' situation.

You can read the Diaries of Despair live at www.xenodiaries.org.